The Flying Fortress is one of the most famous airplanes ever built. The
B-17 prototype first
flew on July 28, 1935. Few B-17s were in service on December 7, 1941,
but production quickly accelerated. The aircraft served in every WW II combat
zone, but is best known for daylight strategic bombing of German industrial
targets. Production ended in May 1945 and totaled 12,726.

In March 1944 this B-17G was assigned to the 91st Bomb Group--"The Ragged
Irregulars"--and based at Bassingbourn, England. There it was named Shoo Shoo
Baby by its crew, after a popular song. It was later renamed "Shoo Shoo Shoo
Baby" after another pilot replaced the original aircraft commander. It flew 24
combat missions in WW II, receiving flak damage seven times. Its first mission
(Frankfurt, Germany) was on March 24, 1944, and last mission (Posen, Poland) on
May 29, 1944, when engine problems forced a landing in neutral Sweden where the
airplane and crew were interned. In 1968, Shoo Shoo Baby was found abandoned in
France; the French government presented the airplane to the USAF. In July 1978,
the 512th Military Airlift Wing moved it to Dover AFB, Delaware, for restoration
by the volunteers of the 512th Antique Restoration Group. The massive 10-year
job of restoration to flying condition was completed in 1988 and the aircraft
was flown to the Museum in October 1988.

The Wright Aeronautical Corp. introduced the first R-1820 in 1931.
Developed from earlier "Cyclone" engines of the 1925-1930 era, the R-1820 was
larger and more powerful than its predecessors. Originally rated at 575 hp., the
engine's performance was dramatically improved during its many years of
production, with several later versions being rated at 1,525 hp. Although the
R-1820 was used in thousands of military and civilian aircraft of various types,
it is probably best known as the engine that powered the B-17 of WW II fame.

The R-1820B on display is an early version rated at 575 hp. It is similar to
the more powerful R-1820-33s used on the Martin B-10.

The Boeing Aircraft Company's B-17 Flying Fortress is, without much
doubt, America's most famous military aircraft. Considered to be one of the
major weapons of the Second World War, this four-engined bomber was held in
very high esteem by Army Air Forces leaders. After the war, for example,
General Carl "Tooey" Spaatz told AAF chief General Hap Arnold that "the B- 17
was the single weapon most responsible for the defeat of Germany."

Ordered by the U.S. Army Air Corps in August 1934, the Model 299 flew
for the first time on July 28, 1935, but was not designated B-17 until the
following January. The aircraft was tested at Wright Field in flyoffs against
the Martin 146 (an improved B-10) and the Douglas DB-1 (based on the DC-2 and
later designated B-18). Without question the 250 mph Boeing, carrying eight
600 pound bombs, was far superior to the competition. But when the prototype
Model 299 crashed because its controls were inadvertently locked on take-off,
the B-18 won the Air Corps contract. Boeing was brought to the brink of
financial disaster, with the loss of over $6 million. However an Army order
for 13 test Y1B-17s kept the program and the company alive. The next major
development, the Y1B-17A, incorporated turbo-super-chargers, giving excellent
high altitude performance. There was a hint that the Air Corps dream of a
long-range strategic bombardment capability might be fulfilled, but the
aircraft was not presented in this way.

The B-17 was sold to Congress as the ultimate "defensive" weapon,
reflecting the spirit of isolationist prewar years: the bomber would be flown
to protect U.S. shores and overseas possessions from enemy fleets — in other
words, this marvel of engineering would be an extended arm of coastal
artillery. However, within the Air Corps a determined cadre of believers in
the B-17 would begin to maneuver behind the scenes to get the superior
aircraft ordered in quantity. In February and March 1938, within a year of
their delivery, Y1B-17s attached to the 2nd Bomb Group made two goodwill
flights to South America. Numerous records were broken, leading to a headline
campaign to convince Congress and the public that the B-17 was worth having,
and from that point on the Flying Fortress began to take its place in history.
From one Y1B-17 built every two weeks in 1937, Fortress production jumped to a
peak of 16 per day in April 1944. By the time it was all over 12,731 B-17s had
been built.

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The first combat mission flown by the Flying Fortress wasn't an American
operation at all. RAF Bomber Command Lend-Lease B-17Cs attacked the German
port of Wilhelmshaven on July 8, 1941, but subsequent missions left the
British unimpressed and their Fortress Is were withdrawn from service. On Dec.
7, 1941, the Army Air Forces in Hawaii had 12 B-17s at Hickam Field and
another 12 which were in the process of arriving from California. Several were
destroyed by the end of the day.

At Clark Field near Manila, 16 of 35 Forts were destroyed in the initial
Japanese attacks. On Dec 10, 1941, the remaining B-17s launched the first
American bombing raid of the war by attacking Japanese shipping. But by the
end of 1941 those left were so worn out they were flown back to Australia.
Several new B-17Es were flown to Java to try to stop the Japanese push against
the Dutch East Indies and several units continued to fly out of Australia but
there were never a large number of B-17s in the Pacific.

The first B-17E assigned to the Eighth Air Force arrived in England on
July 1, 1942, and the first mission was flown by the 97th Bomb Group to Rouen
on Aug. 17 with Gen. Ira C. Eaker in the lead. In early November 1942 several
groups of the Eighth's Forts were detached to North Africa following the
Allied invasion, beginning a long history of the type in the Mediterranean. By
mid 1942 the B-17F began to arrive in England and by 1943 it was the model
responsible for facing the most ferocious Luftwaffe opposition of the war. The
AAF was the Fort used to develop the technique of daylight precision bombing.

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In September 1943 the Army Air Forces reached the peak of their B-17
inventory with 6,043, most serving in 33 groups overseas, compared to 45.5
groups of B-24 Liberators flying combat. The two aircraft would have a
continual rivalry between their crews, particularly when they served in the
same theater. When the Fifteenth Air Force was formed in Italy in late 1943,
the AAF could hit Germany with B-17s and B-24s from both west and south,
something which forced German production czar Albert Speer to disperse
industry and move as much of it underground as possible.

Though AAF prewar planners had a great deal of faith in the self
defensive armament of its bombers, in reality fighters and flak make daylight
bombing prohibitive without fighter escort. After the Schweinfurt raid of Oct.
14, 1943, when 60 bombers failed to come home, the Eighth Air Force had to
cease deep penetration missions until P-47s, P-38s and P-51s could escort them
all the way to the target and back. Had it not been for these fighters and
their pilots, the AAF Strategic bombing Offensive would have failed. The final
Flying Fortress model, the F-17G, began to arrive in England in September 1943
and by the spring of 1944 it was the version most responsible for carrying the
war to Germany from England and Italy. It was easily recognized by the
addition of a chin turret below the nose. The Eighth Air Force had a peak
strength of 2,370 B-17Gs by March 1945.

From 1942 to 1945 B-17s dropped 640,036 tons of bombs on European
targets compared to 452,508 tons from the B-24s. Though by comparison the B-17
was slower, could carry fewer bombs, had less range and was produced in fewer
numbers, it could take more battle damage and made forced landing nearly
effortless. The center of the AAF's public relations effort, the B-17's fame
will forever be established in the American mind.

The Flying Fortress

One of the United States' two standard heavy bombers until the
introduction of the B-29 Superfortress, the B-17 was flown by the United
States Army Air Force throughout the American participation in the Second
World War. Wing to wing with B-24 Liberators,
B-17s were used by the US Eighth Air Force based in the UK, to bombard German
targets in Europe during daylight hours a method which resulted initially in
very heavy losses.

Click on Picture to enlarge

B-17s were used by the US Eighth Air Force based in the
UK, to bombard German targets in Europe during daylight hours a method
which resulted initially in very heavy losses.

The Flying Fortress was designed for a competition, announced in 1934, to find
a modern replacement for the assorted Keystone biplane bombers then in
service. The prototype first flew on July 28,1935, and went on to win the
competition. Boeing then built a few preproduction YlB-17s (later redesignated
B-17As), followed by 39 B-17Bs which entered service in the late thirties.
Money was short, and by the autumn of 1939 only 30 Flying Fortresses were
fully operational. As the US was not then fighting in Europe it did not seem
to matter although, as it became clearer that involvement was inevitable,
orders were increased. Furthermore, a small number of B-17Cs delivered to the
RAF as Fortress Is quickly showed that defensive armament was inadequate.

One of 235
B-17G-45's built by Boeing at Seattle.

In September of 1941, a new Fortress appeared with an extensively
modified empennage. Gone was the pert fin and rudder riding precariously
behind the stabilizer. Instead, a broad yet graceful dorsal fin rose from
amidships and enveloped a deadly stinger of twin .50-cal. machine guns. A
remote controlled belly turret held two more .50s. This was the B-17E, of
which 112 were built. Four hundred more followed but with a manned Sperry ball
turret replacing the remote system. The B-17E was lengthened to 73 feet 10
inches to accommodate the new defensive tail position. Top speed was 317 mph,
cruising at over 200 mph with 4,000 pounds of bombs.

The Pearl Harbor attack of December 7,1941 finally brought the United States
into the war and production of the B-17 rapidly increased. By July 1942 the US
began forming the Eighth Air Force in Britain, equipped with B-17Es. The 'E'
represented an important improvement over the earlier B-17s, in that it had a
tail turret, so eliminating a previous defensive blind spot. On August 17,1942
United States B-17s carried out a bombing raid on the railway yards at Rouen
in France. The real offensive, however, started on January 27,1943, when B-17s
of the USAAF made their first attack on Germany. Initially, casualties were
very high because they attacked during daylight hours to achieve greater
accuracy and because proper formation flying (to enable a group of airplanes
to defend each other with crossfire) had not yet been formulated. Delivery of
the B-17G (the major production version) helped. The 'G' was the first variant
to have a gun turret under the nose, so increasing the armament to 13 guns.

A Douglas
built B-17G-30, from Long Beach California. Lockheed also manufactured
Flying Fortresses for the Air Corps.

Production of the similar B-17F was undertaken by Douglas and Vega, a
subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Corp., was taking its toll in speed. The
B-17F, though now armed with eleven .50-cal. guns, could only reach 299 mph,
but landing speed was up to 90 mph! Service ceiling was 37,500 feet and range
2,880 miles. It took twenty-five and a half minutes to climb to 20,000 feet.
Three thousand, four hundred B-17Fs were produced by the three companies.

By September 1943, the Flying Fortress showed its final shape. During
firepower tests on the XB-40, a modified B-17F, the advantage of a chin turret
was clearly proven and a new series, labeled B-17G, sported this nasal
appendage. The Bendix turret held two .50-cal. guns and this model had a total
of twelve of these weapons with 6,380 rounds of ammunition. In all, there were
8,680 B-17Gs built by Boeing, Vega, and Douglas to make this the largest
production variation. Following the first Model 299, the Air Corps purchased
12,725 B-17 type aircraft.

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The B-17G
introduced new fire power in the form of the Bendix chin turret and a new
tail stinger.

On 19 July 1943 US B-17s and B-24 Liberators carried out the first bombing raid on Rome; and US bombing in Europe
reached its high point in February 1945 with a 1,000-bomber raid on Berlin,
escorted by 400 fighters, and the Dresden raid (alongside the Royal Air Force)
which caused a massive fire storm to sweep the city.

Meanwhile, B-17s were also helping to win the war against Japan,
although by mid-1943 the larger B-29 had begun to take over the major
strategic bombing missions. By the end of production, more than 12,700 B-17s
had been built, of which a few served with Royal Air Force Coastal Command and
the United States Navy for patrol, air-sea rescue, antisubmarine and other
duties.

B-17G specifications included a span of 103 feet 9 inches, length of 74
feet 4 inches, and a height of 19 feet 1 inch. The four supercharged
Wright R-1820-97 Cyclones
delivered 1,200 hp and gave a top speed of 287 mph, cruising at 182 mph.
Service ceiling was 35,600 feet, with a range of 3,400 miles. Empty and gross
weights were 36,135 pounds and 55,000 pounds. Maximum fuel load was 3,630
gallons.

American air power made its European debut during the summer of 1942. On
June 12, Colonel Harry Halverson led thirteen B-24 Liberators
on a first daring, long-distance raid against the oil refineries at
Ploesti, Rumania. Taking off from Egypt, 1,000 miles from the target, the
bombers surprised the enemy. All the planes got safely away, though one B-24 crash
landed later.

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A B-17 being
loaded at an English base with three-hundred pound bombs.

In June
1944, the Americans dropped 120,000 tons of bombs on Germany.

The first American mission from England took place, appropriately, on the
Fourth of July. Six air crews, flying A-20 Boston bombers borrowed from the
RAF, joined six British crews on a low-level raid against air bases in
Holland. The Germans were warned by radio from a picket ship off the Dutch
coast, and two of the bombers flown by Americans were shot down. The
bombardiers of two of the other planes were so confused by the camouflaged
targets that they failed to drop their bombs at all.

More auspicious was a raid on August 17, against the railroad yards at Rouen.
A dozen B-17 Flying Fortresses loaded with three hundred-pound bombs,
completed their mission without losses. In the fall, the North African
invasion diverted planes and men and temporarily stalled the buildup of US air
strength in England. But as the Eighth continued to stab at the enemy,
American crews matched the courage and ability of veterans.

On one occasion, for instance, nine B-17s, turning back from a canceled
mission against Rotterdam, were jumped by more than twenty German fighters.
The Americans fought their way back to England, but in one bomber the pilot
was injured and the copilot killed. The bombardier, who had been washed out of
flying school, took over the controls and flew the plane back home on two
engines.

Perhaps there were other aircraft that were even more pleasant to fly
than the B-17, because it did have its drawbacks: for example, the forces
acting on the ailerons were relatively high, and the rudder felt as if it were
set in concrete. But it was much more important that the aircraft was easy to
fly and land. When one had become accustomed to the higher all-up weight and
the strange instruments, it could be compared with our He 111 in the degree of
effort needed to fly it.

What was really outstanding about the B-17 which made it, together with the Liberator,
the standard day heavy bomber in the European theater of war? It certainly was
not fast in low altitudes; only the exhaust-driven turbo-superchargers gave
the B-17 its good performance at higher altitudes. All in all, that was for me
the most admirable thing about American planning, namely the consequential
pursuit of a concept once it had been recognized as correct, in this case the
effectiveness of raids carried out by well-armed high-altitude bombers flying
in close formations.

One must remember that several years would pass between planning and execution
of a concept. Possibly only the idea of keeping the attacking fighters at bay
with heavily armed bombers flying in close formation and firing from all
'portholes' had to be revised. This consequently happened after the raid on
Schweinfurt which, due to the long distance involved, had to be carried out
without fighter escort, During this raid the USAAF bombers suffered heavy
losses from twin-engine Zerstorer and single-seat fighters attacking with
rocket missiles, which naturally caused quite a crisis. The correct solution
to this problem was soon found: elimination of the sluggish, rocket-carrying
Luftwaffe 'destroyers' by escort fighters -- and several versions of these,
with excellent performance, were also soon available. Nor did the rather
poorly adjusted control forces on the American bombers have much detrimental
effect, as this was certainly not decisive during the approach at great
height, and even less so after the bombers had been equipped with an excellent
three-dimensional autopilot. It must be stressed that the respectable speed of
the B-17 at higher altitudes was due solely to its excellent exhaust-driven
turbo-superchargers. But for the production of these devices one required not
only the know-how but also large quantities of heat-resisting materials which
we were lacking in Germany.

Occasionally I would receive via Switzerland foreign reports on German
aircraft, and it was interesting to read that they quite often not only
praised the construction of the machines but the engines as well, more often
than not concluding that the Germans just did not have the necessary
heat-resistant metals for even better performance.

Photo Gallery

Click on Picture to enlarge

Note external bomb racks under wings.

Left wing shot away.

A bombing accident. Note bomb near left tail section.

Note missing left tail section.

Amid air collision with a ME-109.

The tail was almost completely severed.

The most unusual conversions were 3 B-17Gs converted to engine test beds.
The nose section was removed and replaced with a strengthened mount for a fifth
engine. The Pratt & Whitney XT-34, Wright XT-35, Wright R-3350, and Allison T-56
engines were all flight tested on JB-17Gs.

The Cost Of A B-17

As a postscript to the B-17 story (and in response to various queries),
here is some cost information on the B-17 Fortress. According to Peter
Bowers's *Boeing Aircraft Since 1916" the cost of a B-17G when built in
mass-produced quantities in 1943-44 was: